Joel Embiid is making a comeback with the 76ers, playing consistently without minutes restrictions for the first time since his MVP season in 2022-23. On…<\/p>\n
PHILADELPHIA(AP) \u2014 The basketball was loose and headed out of bounds and the 76ers were losing \u2014 and lost, big<\/a> \u2014 to Cleveland when Joel Embiid knew he had to make a play. He swatted at the ball and pushed it behind him onto the court to keep the play alive. Embiid did not think in the moment of the career injury list that had burdened him head to toe and instead made like a punk rocker stage-diving into the crowd and belly-flopping his 7-foot-2, 270-pound frame over four rows of courtside seats.<\/p>\n Sixers fans who got a taste of Embiid in 3D patted the big man on the back and then mostly held their breath.<\/p>\n Every fall, every bump, every poke in the eye Embiid absorbs is just one more shot that historically has sidelined him for a few games, a few weeks, even a season. He simply got back to his feet and walked back to the court.<\/p>\n Play ball. Embiid was fine.<\/p>\n \u201cThat may be stupid,\u201d Embiid said. \u201cI felt like at that time, maybe we needed it. I didn\u2019t dive because I wanted to show. I felt like I had a chance to save the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n The caution signs are coming down for Embiid.<\/p>\n Yes, he\u2019s proven more susceptible to injury than most players and that threat will always loom, but for the first time since his MVP season in 2022-23, Embiid is playing consistently without being tethered to minutes restrictions. Oh, and he\u2019s about back to dominating inside on offense \u2014 20-plus points in his last 12 games \u2014 even as knee and feet issues have hampered his agility on defense.<\/p>\n \u201cI still feel like I\u2019m not close to where I want to be yet,\u201d Embiid said. \u201cI feel pretty close. I\u2019ve got to keep putting in the work and get there.\u201d<\/p>\n Embiid\u2019s absences \u2014 just 58 games played the last two seasons \u2014 have doomed the 76ers\u2019 title aspirations. Last season was a total wreck, as the ballyhooed All-Star trio of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey were smacked with injuries and the 76ers limped to a 24-58 record under coach Nick Nurse.<\/p>\n With expectations tempered this season \u2014 and with many critics who considered Embiid toast \u2014 the 76ers have instead been one of the surprises of the season. Embiid has played in 10 of the last 12 games (and averaged 26.9 points) and George has been a regular in the lineup \u2014 he\u2019s scored at least 15 points in eight of his last 10 games \u2014- after he missed the first 12 games recovering from offseason knee surgery.<\/p>\n The 35-year-old George signed a $212 million, four-year contract<\/a> in free agency ahead of the 2024 season. But his first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel a lot better physically,\u201d George said. \u201cBut mentally it’s always going to be a hurdle. That’s up to me to kind of continue to knock those hurdles down. That’s always going to be a mental battle. How can I get as close to, or near, what I used to be physically. That’s what I’m chasing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sixers (22-17) sat a solid fifth in a wide-open Eastern Conference headed into Friday\u2019s rematch with the Cavaliers.<\/p>\n \u201cThey really hit their stride,\u201d Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. \u201cEmbiid\u2019s kind of getting back to the old Joel. That helps them a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n